A good closer is someone who is good at helping people make decisions…and people need help in making decisions.

Very few people have ever taken a course on effective decision-making, yet, our lives are nothing more than a result of the decisions we’ve made to-date.

Ever go out to lunch with a group of people? Often, they can’t decide where to go, and once they get there, they can’t decide what to eat.

And here we are, after knowing someone for only an hour or two, asking them to make a commitment to spend thousands of dollars, when the people you're talking to may not be able to decide where to go to for lunch, or what to order once they get there.

Ask questions and gain small and easy-to-make decisions and commitments, increasing them in difficulty as the sales call or service call progresses, to get them used to making decisions.

Often, when you obtain small commitments as you go along, you never do have to ask them to buy. The decision is made before your first closing attempt.

Questions are “Trial Closes”.

One of the biggest mistakes untrained salespeople make is to tell their prospects everything they have to say about the product with the only commitment or feedback they ask for is the final commitment to buy, and often, that’s just too large of a commitment to make.

A sale is a series of small commitments made one at a time.

Trial closes are a series of small, non-threatening decisions or commitments customers make to help them organize their thoughts and lead them to the right decision.

Trial closes are a series of small, non-threatening decisions or commitments customers make to help them organize their thoughts and lead them to the right decision.

Questions keep you headed in the right direction.

Are you trying to sell what you want to sell, or are trying to figure out what they want to buy? Obviously, they’re easier to close when you can figure out what they truly desire to own, and you do that by asking questions.

Questions help people to sell themselves.

Things always work better when you can figure out how to make it “their” idea.

Ask questions that lead to the proper conclusion. When their answers lead them to a buying decision, you're more likely to close the sale.

Questions provide your customers with the opportunity to express themselves.

Many salespeople force their opinions on prospects. Your opinions are not important. You need to learn your customers' opinions and work within those confines.

Every time someone voices an opinion, whether you agree with them or not, always ask them "Why? Why do you feel that way?" Get them to fully express themselves. It helps people to organize their thoughts.

Questions keep them interested.

Many people have difficulty maintaining a concentrated thought. Many people have low attention spans.

Questions keep them talking. When they’re talking, they’re interested in the conversation.

Questions keep them talking. When they’re talking, they’re interested in the conversation.

Questions provide you with information.

You don’t make sales by giving information. You make sales by gaining information. You’re trying to learn what they want to buy and why they want to buy it.

When you ask questions, you’re prompting them to speak. The more your prospects talk, the more you’ll learn from them. The more you learn from them, the easier they are to sell.

Questions give you control of the conversation.

One of the worst things you can do is allow the prospect to take control of the call. You must maintain control of the call. This is not to be confused with being controlling, manipulative, or aggressive. Control doesn’t mean you are in control of the customer. It means that you are in control of yourself, your actions, your emotions, the conversation, and the call.

In any interaction between people the person asking the questions is the person controlling the conversation.

How do you retain control of a call when the customer has a million questions? Start asking questions of your own.

Ever heard anyone say, “I’ve heard that a good salesman always answers a question with a question. Is that true?” Yes, it is true, but don’t be a smart aleck about it.

In conclusion:

Get out of the habit of giving long-winded speeches to your customers. Don't say any more than about five sentences in row without giving them the opportunity to speak by asking a question.

The more questions you ask, the more solid your recommendations will be, and the more sales you will make.

CHARLIE GREER is an award winning salesman, service technician, and sales trainer. For information on Charlie's audio/visual sales training, go to www.hvacprofitboosters.com, or call 1-800-963-HVAC. Email Charlie at [email protected]